Ashley Wallis, who is now 41 years old, will have to answer to this charge by appearing at the courthouse on January 8 for his appearance.
The accusations fell on Wednesday, and were first relayed by - before The Tribune does not confirm the news. The Sherbrooke Police Department announced last Thursday that its investigation was officially completed and that criminal charges were being considered in this case.
According to the Directorate of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions, Mr. Wallis “departed markedly from the normal behavior that a prudent person would have adopted to foresee or limit the spread of fires or prevent explosions and contributed to causing in [le CVA]a fire or explosion causing bodily harm to several people and damage [au CVA]».
The explosion, which occurred on March 23, 2022 at the building at 6943 Bourque Boulevard, forced the transport of five people to the hospital, including two who had to be transported to a serious burn center given the scale of the their injuries.
The CVA was a complex where many food companies had access to different facilities, including an industrial kitchen to produce and process their food. Around fifty companies frequented the CVA, including 14 which were permanently established there.
A crisis unit had also been organized by stakeholders from the Estrie business community, following the events, in order to support small businesses which had lost everything. Some of them have since ceased their activities, and others have relocated in the following months.
The Sherbrooke CVA fire was visible for miles. (Simon Rancourt, La Tribune Archives)
Lawsuit with the CNESST
In March 2023, the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) identified three causes to explain the explosion, including a propane leak caused by the accidental opening of a unobstructed valve of the interior kitchen distribution line.
The detection of propane was also deficient, according to the CNESST, as was the training and information of people who worked at the CVA concerning the risks linked to this gas.
The installation, removal and inspection of propane kitchen equipment were also deficient at the time of the explosion, according to the CNESST.
